


midnight light

by xxcaribbean



Category: One Direction (Band), Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-21
Updated: 2013-11-21
Packaged: 2018-01-02 05:36:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1053112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxcaribbean/pseuds/xxcaribbean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>because apparently liam's a baseball player who ends up with temporary amnesia, and zayn's the er nurse who kinda, sorta fancies him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	midnight light

**Author's Note:**

> so, this totally could've been longer and definitely deserves more of a plot than i gave it, but like, i didn't want to drag anything out either. and uhm, yeah. it's just a small fic with fluff, okay. yay! (yeah, inspiration came from two people in my monday night class, lmao).
> 
> oh yes, i should also add that i know nothing about being a nurse, and i'm pretty sure this is very unrealistic. but you know, that's not strictly what i was aiming for here. so just go with it, please. ;3

His name is Liam, and he’s emitted into the ER on a late Wednesday night. For the most part, he’s unconscious, eyes still blinking open and dazed by the large bruise that covers the side of his head. It’s swollen and red, various blues and purples already beginning to take shape.

Thing is, Zayn’s pretty damn sure he’s the most beautiful person he’s ever seen.

And okay, yeah, it’s a patient who’s been injured, and he’s more or less being relatively selfish because serious harm could’ve been done here - real, serious shit that might affect Liam’s life if they’re not careful - but Zayn, damnit, can’t help it.

“Say with me, Liam,” Zayn says softly, smiling down at the lad.

Liam’s got brown eyes that sparkle, and even if he may not know where he is, they’re bright as the smile that takes over his face. “Okay,” he replies.

He can only return it. Something simple and straightforward, squeezing Liam’s hand in the process as they roll the gurney down the hallway. They’ve got to take him to get scanned, check to make sure everything’s okay and that the baseball shaped bruise is only just a bruise. Although by the looks of it, and the way that Liam’s currently acting, Zayn’s positive there’s damage. He tries to be an optimist, but when he can physically see something wrong, it’s most likely wrong.

“We’re gonna get this all sorted,” he continues. He realizes the other two nurses helping him probably think he’s crazy, but he knows it’s best to believe that the people that come in are people - because they are, yes - but sometimes the tragedy makes all the nurses blind to the fact that these are humans who need to be treated as if they’re going to be okay, positivity and all that. It doesn’t always work, but Zayn hopes.

“Okay.”

He breathes out a quiet laugh, knowing he’s probably not going to get much out of Liam anymore save for his last few responses. He’s still awake, just a bit out of it, and that’s more than Zayn could’ve hoped for as they continue to make their way down the hall.

Eventually, and because Zayn’s main job is in the ER, Liam’s passed along to a good hand of doctors, left waving at Zayn for as long as he can see him until they’re both out of each other’s sight.

\--

Zayn learns one evening who Liam actually is. He’s in the cafeteria eating a rather late lunch when the tvs switch from news segment to another. The very one that catches his attention, though, is about a baseball game gone completely wrong.

His head snaps up, eyes immediately trained onto the video playing of a baseball flying before it cuts away to a woman’s face who then explains what’s going on.

_And Liam Payne, a player for the Giants, was emitted into the hospital just after the accident. Various reports from people within the stadium claim it was due to rough housing just before one of their games. The team had been practising and warming up before they were set to go against the Cubs. We haven’t got any clear news as to whether Mr. Payne is okay or not; no press releases have been made either yet, but we expect the full report soon._

\--

Ignoring the little voice in the back of one’s head is the best way to go, but Zayn has never been good at listening when it comes to his own curiosity. He tells himself that he should leave it all alone, forget everything that’s happened (or a lack there of) so he can focus on his actual job.

But he can’t; not yet at least, and one of the privileges he has is checking in on patients.

Which is how he finds himself down in the west wing of the hospital, not too far away from his original post (having convinced a co worker to cover for him) in order to seek out Liam. Honestly, he wants to know how he’s doing, but catching a glimpse at the other man wouldn’t do a bit of harm either. Zayn’s not a fan of sports, not really. He wasn’t on any teams in school, and quite frankly, just thinking about anything athletic makes him tired, but Liam’s different.

Different.

How?

He doesn’t know, so when he happens upon Liam’s room, there’s still that little voice in the back of his mind that tells him this is a very, very bad idea.

Well, he does it anyway.

When Zayn first enters the room, it’s a bit dark, only a lamp on, and Zayn shakes his head at his luck because Liam’s sleeping. So he sighs and briefly watches the way his chest rises and falls before taking a few steps back so he can exit the room.

Although, and as luck would have it, everything sorta, kinda fails when he missteps, trips, and knocks off the patient records they’ve apparently been keeping on Liam’s door. Mostly they hang at the end of the bed, and the thought of anyone actually finding his documents sends a jolt through Zayn’s heart (afterall, Liam’s a _celebrity_ ), but it’s quickly banished when he cringes, and Liam startles.

“Shit,” he says under his breathe.

Liam quickly finds Zayn in the doorway, bending down in order to rectify his mistake. He can feel those brown eyes boring into him, and there’s an apology on the tip of his tongue.

But it never makes it out because it’s ripped away from him the very moment Liam croaks out a, “hey; it’s you!”

Zayn’s head snaps up, brows crinkling.

“It’s nice to see a familiar face.”

He’s not quite sure what that means, but he’ll take it. After hanging up the records, Zayn shuffles forward, watches how Liam sits up and pulls the blankets up to his waist. “I just wanted to check up on you,” Zayn admits, albeit shyly. “You looked pretty banged up yesterday.”

Liam nods and points to his head, careful not to touch it. It’s wrapped in gauze, and Zayn’s a little thankful. Otherwise he’d probably fuss. “Yeah,” he says sadly. “They say I got hit in the head with a baseball, but I don’t remember that.”

He ends up tilting his head to the side, hands reaching forward to latch onto the metal bar at the end of the bed in order to have some support. “You don’t remember it?”

The man in bed just shrugs, and Zayn feels like a fucking idiot because here he is, a perfect stranger criticizing a patient that can’t help something that happened to him. “Sorry,” he rectifies. “Sorry. It’s fine if you don’t remember-” Zayn frowns, eyes going wide before feeling the need to backtrack. “Shit, that’s not what I mean. Like, it’s fine if you don’t remember, but it’s also not fine because you were pretty out of it-”

“Amnesia.”

“-and I just came in here to see if you were okay, and I’m glad you are. Wait,” he halts, draws back physically as if Liam’s just slapped him. “Amnesia? Holy shit.”

“Yeah,” Liam says, licking his lip. “They keep asking me questions and shining lights into my eyes, said something about it be temporary, and they won’t tell me anything. All I’ve got to go on is my name.”

“Don’t,” Zayn breathes. “Like, try not to think about it too much, yeah? If they said it’s temporary, let your memory come back in time.”

But Liam shakes his head and nods over to an empty chair. “You can stay if you want. Everyone’s that’s come in, well, I don’t know. You’re the first familiar face I’ve seen.” He smiles then, like he did the night before, although this one is softer, crinkles around the eyes, stretched lips, and Zayn’s a gonner. He should leave and get back to work, and he should reassure Liam that everything will be okay, that at least everything he doesn’t know about himself will satisfy him because at least he wasn’t put here on purpose. Zayn knows Liam’s had a good life, and he’s happy he knows that one of these days, Liam will go back to it, smiling and cheerful and probably one of the best players on his team.

For now, though, Zayn can’t interfere with doctor’s orders, so he obliges and pretends that Liam’s not who he really is, that he’s some other bloke in the hospital who’s a little scared and hopeful. Zayn may be a nurse who knows how to do CPR or stick a needle into someone's veins, but he’s also very much trained in being polite and welcoming, comfortable, like home away from home.

\--

“This food is awful.”

Zayn snorts but doesn’t comment.

“I know you work here, nurse,” Liam starts, sending a chill down Zayn’s spine, a smirk working it’s way onto his face, “how about you sneak me in some real food?”

“And what, may I ask, is real food?” He’s way too comfortable, and this is a routine that he shouldn’t’ve even started. The nurses down the hall know Zayn pretty well now, even let him in to see Liam when there shouldn’t be any visitors. He’s not surprised that word has traveled around because he finds that his shifts are mostly covered, and he’s only ever pulled away from Liam’s hospital room when they’re short on staff.

He’s lucky. Really, really lucky, but a lot of it comes down to the fact that Liam always fucking smiles and manages to put everyone into better spirits.

“I dunno,” he thinks out loud, “I’d kill for McDonald’s.”

Zayn had just been about to take a bite of his salad, and now he’s choking out a laugh. “That’s not food, Liam.”

“Yes, it is, Zayn,” Liam deadpans, but he doesn’t mean it, not when the corners of his lips are pulled up. “It’s edible, isn’t it?”

He only shakes his head, taking a swig of water before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Okay, fair enough, but it’s not _good_ food, and just because something’s edible, doesn’t mean you should actually eat it.”

Zayn watches as Liam does the next best thing in terms of responding. He cross his arms over his chest and fucking _pouts_. That’s certainly a new response, and goddamnit it Zayn’s resolve is dropping because Liam does this and that’s not fair. It’s not, and he’s only been in the hospital for nearly four days, and yet Zayn’s already smitten.

“C’mon, Liam.”

“But Zayn,” he whines.

So if he’s going to be that way, Zayn raises his brows and points at him with his fork. “If you don’t eat, you’ll be subjected to more prodding because you didn’t do as the doctor asked.”

Liam frowns, face going pale. “I hate needles.”

“Yeah,” Zayn shakes his head. “I do too.”

The man in bed only snorts but picks up his utensil to stab at the meat on the plate. It’s not so much that they’ve got to monitor his eating, but Zayn knows that the hospital is only ensuring that Liam is healthy so that hopefully is memory will return.

Surprisingly, and as far as Zayn’s been around, Liam hasn’t asked a single question about it. Zayn hasn’t seen a case like this - mostly due to the fact that the ER is mostly filled with people who might be a little too dramatic with their ailments, or serious accidents that leave him covered in blood.

He shudders. He’s had to learn to develop a stomach for those situations.

“Why’d you want to be a nurse?”

Zayn’s brought out of his thoughts by Liam’s simple question. He’s eating now, and as much as he would like to correct Liam and the way he’s chewing and talking, he pushes that aside. “Well, I dunno.”

Liam clicks his tongue as if Zayn ought to have answer. He doesn’t say anything else about it though, just eats and waits.

“It just kind of happened, and I wasn’t planning on it. S’not what I went to school for, certainly.” Now he’s the one playing with his food, using his fork to push around the continents of his salad. Earlier today had been a little heavy, and the weight in his stomach hasn’t fully settled. Just eating the lettuce is proving to be difficult to do, but he’s an example, especially if Liam’s going to be stubborn.

“An accident? How can you end up here as an accident?”

Zayn smirks and looks pointedly at Liam. He’s got the decency to blush.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“Priorities, Liam,” Zayn says instead. “Sometimes things work out the way they do for a reason.” He’s left to eat his food, with Liam eventually giving up and paying attention to the muted tv.

It’s five minutes later when Zayn has to say goodbye and head back to his area of the hospital. It disappoints him.

\--

Zayn’s busy at the front desk, filling out some paperwork before there’s a clearing of the throat. He doesn’t acknowledge the person who is trying to get his attention right away, favors filling out the last blank before he caps the pen and looks up with a soft smile.

And that’s where he finds Liam, leaning against the counter with cheeky grin on his face who looks none to pleased with himself.

“I thought to meself, _I should break out of this joint_ , but then I thought of you and that scowl, so I decided to come visit you instead.” He keeps up his grin, not at all sheepish at his behavior.

It also doesn’t help that the nurse Zayn is sharing a shift with giggles over to his left, hand covering her mouth. Zayn ends up blushing and standing up. “I thought you had a room to stay in?” he asks, rounding the area so that he’s closer to Liam. He ends up nodding in a particular direction, one that indicates Liam should follow him, which he does so without any remark.

“Yeah, but I got bored, and they won’t let me leave this place. It’s too white; the food is shit, and while I know all the nurses by names right now, I like you.”

Zayn halts, causing Liam to bump into him from behind, which Zayn winces at because he’s pretty sure Liam’s not meant to further hurt himself (or give Zayn this kind of feeling, no less). "Is that so?” he asks lightly, not quite sure how he’s supposed to react to Liam’s revelation. They’ve only known one another for a few days, and while Zayn thinks it should be awkward between them, it isn’t.

This is also his fault too. He’s the one that decided to go check up on Liam as if he’d been allowed to do so.

“It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do anyway. They’re still monitoring me, or some shit like that, and I think-” Liam cuts himself off, even as he saddles up next to Zayn and stares at him. “Well, I’d like to remember _something_ , but all I’ve got to go on is a bloody name. Sitting around thinking about what I can’t remember is tiresome, and frustrating.”

Zayn bites his lip, ducks his head before he replies. “It’s okay, Liam. You’re fine; I promise.”

“Optimistic.” Liam continues walking down the hall. He’s walking backwards, which is definitely not safe until Zayn catches up with him and urges him stand correctly. “And bossy. Cool.”

He tsks. “Someone’s gotta look out for you, don’t they?”

“And you decided you were going to be the one to do it?”

They arrive at a doorway; it’s a small lounge that holds vending machines full of candy and sodas. Zayn knows he’s got change in his pocket and figured he could slip Liam something sweet while he’s down here, but Liam’s comment has him nervous. He hadn’t meant to impose, and if Liam thinks he’s annoying, well, goddamnit. He’s just a fucking idiot.

“I didn’t mean to,” Zayn rushes out, bunches the end of his uniform in his hands as a way to alleviate his anxiety. “You came into the ER, and mostly when we hand patients over to the doctors, I don’t get to see them again. I only wanted to know if you were okay.” Ultimately, he closes in on himself; his stance becomes weak and small, shoulders hunched, and eyes darting about the place. “It’s, well, I’ll leave you alone-”

“Hey,” Liam nudges his shoulder, looks at Zayn with earnest, honest eyes. “I’m glad you did. Don’t regret it.”

Zayn looks mildly awed, face probably construed in such a way that reveals it too. But then he snaps out of it, smiling in relief on nodding. “Okay then. Let me get you something before I send you back up there.” He points towards the machines before sliding his hand into his pocket. “Get whatever you want.”

It’s subtle and quick, but Liam scrunches up his nose before he heads over to the vending machine and chooses a candy bar. Zayn’s pretty sure he doesn’t really need it, but it’s the least he could do. (He also wouldn’t be the one in trouble with any doctors). “This doesn’t excuse you for wanting to get rid of me,” Liam states, grabbing the candy after it lands at the bottom of the machine. He’s not mean about what he’s said; it’s a personality of playfulness, one to help lighten the mood. “But good on ya because I’ve been dying to get my hands on junk food.” He practically hugs the sweet before winking, pushing past Zayn and disappearing down the hall.

There’s the possibility that Liam might get lost, but Zayn figures it wouldn’t matter. Liam would only see it as an adventure rather than a burden.

\--

All good things must come to an end, and while Zayn had gotten to know Liam, it turns out that their short acquaintance with one another comes to a rapid halt the next evening when Zayn finds Liam’s room empty.

It’s void of looking like anyone had been there at all. The bed is made, no signs of Liam. And it’s not like much had been there before, but there ought to be a body in that bed.

“Oy! Forget to tell ya, darlin’.”

Zayn turns towards the voice that belongs to a young woman in scrubs carrying a few towels. “Checked out this morning. Finally started to remember some things. Good on him, though! I bet he was itching to get back to work.”

And Zayn’s stomach sinks because oh, yeah. Right. Liam wasn’t just _Liam_. He was and is _Liam Payne_ , baseball player who’d been nearly knocked unconscious by a flying baseball, who landed in the hospital on the account that he had amnesia.

Yeah, Zayn’s really fucking stupid and should’ve known better than to get used to anything. Five days might’ve not been months or years, but it was enough for Zayn to determined that Liam wasn’t so bad of a character.

Then again, the Liam he knew and the one known to the world are most likely entirely separate. He’s got a life and a home outside of the four walls Zayn practically lives in because of his job, and that, well, Zayn doesn’t know how to feel about that.

\--

It’s hard to forget, per se. Every patient that comes in, Zayn doesn’t completely remember because the ER has it’s high and low points. Although there are the important events that had happened that Zayn knew he wouldn’t ever forget.

Which is why when he’s genuinely having a rough day, Zayn nearly wants to cry when he’s called to the front of the ER. He doesn’t know what’s waiting for him, whether it’s another accident, or just another person waiting to see a doctor because they’ve got the flu, and it’s frustrating. He’d already had to cleanse his hands of the blood of a person who’d been driving a car, wheel in someone who’d been pregnant (who’d inevitably snapped at him when he wasn’t pushing her wheelchair fast enough to the maternity ward).

“Please tell me it’s an easy one,” Zayn mutters under his breath as he approaches the desk. He’ll get his assignment there, but what he finds is a smiling nurse and confusion crashing over him.

“You’re definitely going to like this,” she says.

And it peaks Zayn’s interest. It does because he’s pretty sure there’s nothing to like about the ER, but then she’s pointing towards the front doors where the ambulance typically parks where there’s usually a rush of commotion trying to get someone on a gurney inside.

“Am I supposed to be looking for something?” Because yeah, he doesn’t see anything except the sun setting and the fading of day into night.

The woman laughs and shakes her head. “Go see. Someone’s waiting.”

So Zayn goes, figures it’s best to deal with whatever kind of bullshit is going on. It’s only when he gets to the doors that he realizes he doesn’t have any kind of coat on, that it might be slightly chilly out, but maybe whatever’s out here won’t take too long, and he’ll be able to return to his desk quickly.

Pushing the door open, Zayn makes his way outside to the little bay area. There’s really no one in sight except for a lone figure leaning up against one of the cement columns that holds up the sign that indicates that the building is a hospital. “Uhm, hello?” He tries, wonders if this is who he’s supposed to be meeting.

And he guesses right when said figure turns his way, straightens up and walks out of the shadows. Nothing really registers with Zayn, at first, until his eyes happen upon a familiar face and a cheeky grin.

“Miss me?”

“Liam?” Zayn crosses his arms over his chest, not out of defense but at the nipping wind at his skin. “What are you doing here?” He really doesn’t know. For heaven’s sake, he could’ve come inside where it’s definitely a bit warmer, but when Liam looks a bit shy, drops his gaze downwards, Zayn forgets all of his complaints. “Is something wrong?”

“You knew, didn’t you?”

“I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about,” Zayn admits.

“Who I was. My life. Me.”

And by that description it dawns on Zayn, but he shakes his head. “Not really, no. I didn’t find out until later when I saw what happened on the news.”

Liam must accept that response because he shoves his hands into his pant’s pockets before scuffing the ground with his shoe. “I think it was the chocolate bar.”

Zayn could’ve quickly asked what Liam meant, but the other male beats him to it.

“Like, I dunno. It all came rushing back at once, and I’m not quite sure it should’ve happened like that.” Worrying at his lip, Liam returns his gaze back to Zayn’s. “But they let me go, and of course I had to because-”

“Of your job. It’s okay, Liam.”

Although Liam disagrees when he snorts. “No, it’s not. Not really. I know I didn’t say much, but I was scared because obviously I didn’t know who I was, but the thought of not regaining any memory terrified me the most.”

Zayn swallows, rubs at his arms and lets the cool air keep him alert. “You don’t have to tell me.”

But Liam goes on. “And then you were there, the only nurse that really just,” he shrugs, searching for the right word, “talked. Most of the others had this look in their eyes, sympathy. I didn’t need it.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re better now-”

“Zayn,” Liam interrupts. “I’m not done yet.”

The nurse shuts up, motions that he’s keeping his mouth shut for the next few minutes so Liam can continue talking. It’s obviously important, otherwise he wouldn’t’ve dragged Zayn out here, nor would he have even come back to give some sort of thank you.

“But like, will you go out with me?” Liam’s brows raise, looking surprised by his own question. “Uhm, well, what I meant to say, considering I just blurted that out without warning, was that I kinda fancy the nurse that didn’t give a shit about my public life in favor of actually giving a damn about me.”

And Zayn grows speechless, mind stumbling over Liam’s words in an effort to make sense of his confession. He’s never gotten many compliments, but Liam makes his heart lurch into his throat.

“So, Zayn, I’m asking you out on a date so that we may properly get to know one another.”

He bursts out laughing. Zayn doesn’t mean to, honestly, and he feels bad for doing so immediately when he sees Liam's shocked fave; he's a bit hurt. Although when that happens, Zayn unravels himself, walking closer to Liam and tugging on his sleeve. “Sorry, but you’re a bit ridiculous,” he says. “Here I was worried that you left me behind and forgot about me because you’re fancy, and an athlete, and I’m just some ER nurse who cleans up more puke than blood on regular basis.” He bites down on his teeth, looking remotely bad for admitting that part of his job, but finds that he doesn't care too much and looks up at Liam through the fringe of his hair. “So, if your offer’s still on the table after those fine details, then I can happily say I’d very much like to go out on a date with you.”

When Liam purses his lips, looks as if he’s pondering the proposition, Zayn whacks his shoulder lightly before a grin takes over his face. “I think I’d like that very much."

And while this is the moment that Zayn would very much enjoy leaning forward to press his lips against Liam’s, he doesn’t for several reasons. One, because Liam doesn’t look like he’s going to initiate it, and two, it’s more out of self-preservation.

But then Zayn thinks back to the moment he took a risk by going to see Liam and tells himself to screw it all to hell.

So just before Liam can get back to his car and drive away (with dinner planned at eight on friday), Zayn grabs the front of Liam’s shirt and pulls him in for a deep kiss.

It’s better than expected, and Zayn figures that instead of thinking about all the wrongs he’s done, it’s time to start thinking of the right. After all, it’s what landed him a date with a brown-eyed, cheeky as fuck, athlete that Zayn figured was way out of his league.


End file.
